


Over Warm Coffee

by KawaiSonadowLover100



Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Character Death, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2019-11-19
Packaged: 2021-02-13 05:56:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21489469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KawaiSonadowLover100/pseuds/KawaiSonadowLover100
Summary: This is smth that's been brewing (pun not intended) for a while now and I finally got around to finishing it.Excuse the errors, I did not spellcheck.
Relationships: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Toothless
Kudos: 27





	Over Warm Coffee

It was lovely autumn morning here on Berk. Well, as lovely as it could get with its weather. It honestly felt like winter was here and not like summer had just ended about half a month ago. School had started which was great for most people- the workers and the parents, though I'm not sure of the teachers. Definitely not the students.

It was a good thing for Dean 'Toothless' Night, though. He wasn't one of the teachers at school but rather the janitor. It was an easy job, really. And he didn't mind cleaning all that much. He always woke up at six in the morning, ready to leave by six thirty and open up the school around six forty. He worked in the middle school, which Berk only had one. It also had one preschool, one kindergarten, one high school and one college, each a block away from each other so it didn't really matter in which school he'd go to work at since he'd always be able to see his kids.

His oldest, Sasha 'Melody', was in eighth grade, one more year till high school. His second was Jacob 'Talon'. He was eleven and a tad bit on the shy side since he took after his mother more (though he's a spitting image of his father when he was at that age). And finally, Mikey 'Claws', ever the troublemaker of the forth graders- if his nickname was anything to go by.

All three of his children went to the same middle school and he got to see them every morning and break and after classes. He'd wake them before he left since he knew his daughter did not like getting up early, while Claws just couldn't wait to start. He'd give him till the start of fifth grade. Talon woke up because he had to and never complained.

It was mostly peaceful here on Berk- at least for the Berkians. The older residents always told the younger generations that if there wasn't a fight on the island then it was considered a bad omen- because you see, they were all descendants of vikings, brutal and courageous.

Though they mostly said that to keep themselves entertained. Toothless, for one, had been a victim of many of those fights in his youth. He once caught a glimpse of two elderly men cheering on a fight a few blocks down their house, them sitting on the balcony with beers in their hands. It was quite a sight to see.

Chuckling to himself at the memories, he unlocked the school's door (since the gate was always opened) and walked in. These moments in the quiet were his favorites. The halls were empty and the echo of his shoes on the tiled floor went well with the chirping of the birds. It made him feel at peace before the kids barged in.

He walked into the changing rooms for the teachers in the gym and put on his grey, worn out uniform. He had been asked many-a-times by the headmaster if he wanted a newer one, but he always refused. He said it gave him aesthetic.

Grabbing the mop, he started unlocking all the classrooms and opening the windows for them to air out, and went to the main hallway to start cleaning it. The other janitors joined him soon enough, only two other ones worked the same shift he did, but he didn't mind.

Sooner than he thought, seven o'clock rolled around and he heard the voices of his kids and their friends. He smiled at himself and hurried to finish his work before the bell rang.

It did just that around seven fifteen, indicating that the students should get in their classrooms and prepare for classes.

His kids didn't notice him, but he didn't mind. Seeing them smiling with their friends made him all the more happy. Being a sort of a loner when he was their age was a little bit tiring and -you guessed it- lonely. Granted, it led him to having three wonderful (the word is stretched at a huge level) kids.

"Morning Toothless." A teacher, one of the janitor's favorites, greeted him at the door. He turned and smiled wider at her.

"Ms Gronckle." He said back, sizing her up.

Barbara 'Meatlug' Gronckle. She was about his age, a little bit older than him by a few months. As always, she wore here maroon knee-length dress with the white collar and the three golden buttons at the front. She was a bit more on the chubby side, and with her short height and glasses perched on her nose, she passes with flying colors in the 'Who looks the most like a teacher' test.

And although her looks may seem like she's on the strict side, she's an actual angel when it comes to the kids. She knows when to give someone else the reins but she also knows when to take them. 'The perfect teacher', is what Toothless often called her.

"Toothless, we went to the same school, enough with formalities." She chuckled behind her hand.

"Can't help it." He smirked. "We're at work."

"Gods, what happened to that bad boy we knew?" She teased back.

Toothless shrugged. "He got tamed." They both laughed.

"Hard to believe that, honestly. Starlight sure did her job right." Mournful, sad smiles graced their faces at the mention of the woman. "How are you doing?" She gently asked.

"Its been two years, shame on me if I still can't accept it." He looked down sadly, slowly swiping the mop from side to side.

"Toothless, you lost your wife." Her arm found it's way on his shoulder, their eyes locking. "Its fine if you're still hung up on it."

"I'm alright, Meatlug, I promise." He smiled sadly. "I'm more worried about Talon. How is he?"

"He's turning into you." She chuckled slightly. "He's alright, from what I can see. He doesn't talk much to his classmates, though. Usually replies with 'okay' and that's it."

"It's been two years..." He said to himself, looking down.

"Hey," Meatlug said, placing a hand on his bicep. "It's not your fault he's still dealing with this, so don't blame yourself. Some adults have a harder time getting over the deaths of their loved ones than Talon so be proud he's making some progress, even if a little." She smiled at him sadly and he returned it.

"Yeah. Yeah, okay, you're right."

"I usually am." Toothless chuckled at that. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I got some kids that need to settle down." With a 'see you later' from the man, she left.

He sighed. He should probably get back to work too.

~°•~°•~°•~°•

Elsewhere in Berk, up the hills about a dozen blocks away from the school area, was a father rushing to get his kids to school. Oh how he sometimes wished Astrid was still living here.

"Tyra! Vernon! Breakfast in the car!" He yelled, trying to tie his laces while standing.

"Shotgun!" His daughter yelled, running down the stairs with toast in her mouth.

"You were shotgun yesterday!" His son ran after her, toast in his mouth too, with his bag in his hand.

"Come on, we're late!" Finally, Jay 'Hiccup' got out, his own breakfast between his teeth as well, as they all got into the car. "How did we all oversleep?" He asked himself quietly as he pulled out and stepped on the gas, going over the speed limit just a little bit.

"Tyra forgot to set the alarm!" Dustin 'Vernon' pointed a finger at his sister, who was in the front seat. "She did it on purpose!"

"And why would she do that exactly?" His father asked, glancing at his son through the rearview mirror for a second before turning his gaze at the red light.

"So she could get shotgun!"

"Not true!" The brunette protested, turning in her seat to face her brother. "Don't blame the alarm just cause you're slow!"

"Okay, that's enough." Hiccup said, pulling up on the curb. "We'll talk about this later, now get to school." He ushered them, giving them each a kiss on their forehead before they left the car and said their goodbyes.

Toothless watched the interaction at the school door with understanding and warmth. God, it was good to be a father.

"Morning mr Night!" Vernon said at the gates, waving his hand enthusiastically.

"Morning Vernon." He ruffled the boys hair affectionately when they were close enough. "Hi Tyra."

"Mr Night." Ingrid 'Tyra' greeted with a smirk, fake bussiness etiquette in her voice and stature. The man chuckled at that.

"Off to classes before your teachers write you as absent." And with that they were gone.

Toothless turned to see that their father was still there on the curb, looking at the janitor. He smiled awkwardly and waved, making the ravenette chuckle again and wave back. With that, their father left to his work and Toothless went on to clean the gardens.

It was a peaceful autumn indeed.

~°•~°•~°•~°•

"Gobber, I am *_so_* sorry I'm late." Hiccup said, practically flying over his desk. He immediately put away his satchel and picked up his scattered papers of drawings and projects and to-do lists and put them back on his table, grabbed his uniform and to the bathroom he went to change.

"As ye' should be!" The man replied, sliding from under the car he was working on.

"I'm only ten minutes late though." He replied, finally coming out of the restroom and going to work on the broken clock someone brought yesterday. "The alarm didn't go off and I had to take the kids to school today-"

"Yes, yes, I know yer sched'le." His mentor replied, grabbing a tool he needed from the side before sliding back under the car.

Hiccup only chuckled breathily, very happy that he had such an understanding employer -it might've had to do with the fact that he knew him since he was a toddler, but that's not really important right now.

Work that day was pretty fast for a Monday- and slow at the same time.

There weren't many people who came by, which was odd, but not unusual, and Hiccup found himself already finished with the clock not half an hour later. This gave him some time to work on a few personal projects he had on the side.

He'd get up and help Gobber with the car here and there just to get a different scenery in front of him and come back to his projects with fresh eyes.

Noon came about rather quickly and the hours before that were full but unrushed.

Fishlegs stopped by as he usually did around that time to bring Hiccup his lunch. It became somewhat of a tradition because of that one time he forgot he needed to eat, and because he had such a caring friend -with a mother that always goes overboard with her kid's lunch boxes- he always had a full stomach everyday.

His friend worked at the one library that Berk has, not that many go and visit it.

It had new books delivered almost every two weeks and Fishlegs just couldn't wait to get his hands on them every time. It was safe to say that he has read everything he has in his library. Well, possibly in all of Berk, too.

The only people that ever did go to the library were Hiccup -when he needed to get a reference from something for his projects or to just kill time reading a book and/or talking to Fishlegs- and the students from the schools.

Speaking of, it was just about the same time when his lunch would start that the kids would be let off from school- at least those who had the first shift.

Toothless smiled as some of the students ran through the gates, some needed to get somewhere, others just to get away.

He saw his kids talking to the Haddocks as they were getting closer to where he stood by the fountain.

"Dad?" Melody asked, stepping in front of him, her siblings and friends following suit.

"Yes?" He asked, pausing his work with the broom in his hand.

"Mr Hookfang gave us a project that we need to finish in two weeks, can Tyra and Vernon come to our house?" She asked as Toothless sighed.

Alexander Hookfang. No one called him by his first name. He's also known around the schools as 'Monsterous Nightmare' because he gave the most projects and the worst grades. Toothless was surprised it took him so long to give his students their first assignment.

"Of course." He smiled and ruffled his girl's hair. "Just don't forget to eat- and actually do the project. I can't keep bailing you out just because I know your teacher." He said as he waved goodbye to his kids and their friends.

Man, that man could be a pain in the ass sometimes.

"Yo, Toothless!" Speak of the devil. "Come here a sec!" Translation: I need your help with something, but I gotta keep face so I'm asking indirectly.

The ravenette shook his head. He was one of his best friends none the less.

"Coming!" He replied, walking up to the school's doors.

~°•~°•~°•~°•

The next hour went by fast for Toothless. He was at his locker room when he realized where he was. His body just seemed to move on autopilot. He chuckled to himself.

He closed his locker door with his uniform inside as he greeted York, the guy of the second shift.

His walk home was even shorter and he was not surprised to see his kids bantering over their food. The Haddock kids were no where in sight.

"What happened?" He asked as he pecked each of their temples.

"Melody made my noodles spicy again!" Claws pointed at his sister accusingly.

The girl just hid her grin behind her chopsticks.

"Melody." Toothless warned gently.

"I'm sorry, but it's funny to watch!"

"I know it may be funny, but it's not." He picked up his youngest, putting him on his hip as he walked to the kitchen. "You wouldn't like it if someone put gum in your hair, now would you?"

His daughter let out an exasperated sigh. "No." She looked down at her bowl, stirring the contents of it.

Claws stuck his tongue out at her over his father's shoulder before turning back to look at what he was doing.

Five minutes later, he had a spicy-free bowl of instant noodles in his hands and Toothless finishing the other one.

"What do you guys wanna do?" He asked as he looked at the time, seeing he still had about an hour and a half left before needing to go to the café.

"Movie?" Melody suggested as they all settled into the couch.

"Movie."

~°•~°•~°•~°•

_Ding!_

Four o'clock on the dot.

Let's rewind a bit here. About an hour ago, Toothless left to go to his second job at the local café. Stormfly, one of his close friends, had arrived just before he left, having finished her shift a while ago. She usually went to his house to look after the kids when he was at the café and left when he'd come home at eight.

To say that the hour he's been here was boring would be an understatement. There were barely any costumers as people were at work or school from around three till four thirty, and only an elderly lady came in to ask for some tea. There was the usual girl with her headphones and laptop in the corner, sitting and bobbing her head to whatever music she was listening to, but she'd always be there before Toothless arrived and leave a few ten minutes after. He once saw that she was playing some sort of game when he went to give her the check, but that's about it. It could mean that she was the one hogging all the internet, though.

It didn't really matter right now, because he regular just came in, and he already had the coffee of the day brewing.

"Hey." Hiccup greeted, smiling as he pulled out his wallet.

"Got your coffee brewing, it'll be done in a few minutes."

"Thanks." The brunette chuckled, handing him the money as Toothless took it and put it in the register. "Tiring shift?"

"More like boring." The taller replied, resting his elbows on the counter and chin on his hand.

"Tell me about it." The smile on Hiccup's face made Toothless's stomach to flip flops.

"Hey, loverbird! Stop flirting with the costumers!" Barf yelled as Belch laughed, both of them carrying supplied from the supply closet.

Toothless learned long ago not to react to their bait, but it was really hard. "Ignore them." He stood up as he went to finish the coffee his scowling face red.

Hiccup only nodded, flushing slightly as well with a timid smile. "It's fine, don't worry about it."

"Here's your coffee." And just like that, the awkwardness was gone, the brunette smiling as he left and Toothless leaning on the counter again.

"Careful or you might trip running to him." His leg was pulled under him, the twins running away and laughing. Toothless almost hit his jaw on the counter if he didn't catch himself, cursing the two as the went about their teasing. Just wait till they had their coffee.

~°•~°•~°•~°•

And so, the days continued on like the this, Toothless waking up in the morning and going to his first job, the kids either going to school or sleeping in. He'd go back and enjoy a movie or a game with his children or revel in the peace he'd get before going off to the café and waiting another hour before his favorite time of the day finally came. Four o'clock, on the dot, Hiccup would come in and Toothless would have his coffee of the day ready. He'd go home around eight something and talk with his kids about their day before going to bed around ten or eleven.

It was routine and he was happy with it.

Till one Thursday afternoon, a few weeks after the whole 'lovebird' scenario, Hiccup didn't come in at four. Toothless thought he was running a little late, which was rare, but it happened. He waited five minutes, then ten, then fifteen but he never came.

He asked the staff if they had seen him before, but they said he hadn't come in at all.

In the end, the coffee he had made ready was cold by the time he went home.

.....

Hiccup didn't show up the days after, his kids weren't at school, either. His own kept complaining why they were gone, Melody a little worried and Claws say he was bored without Vernon. Even Talon was showing a little concern at times.

He kept asking around, his eyes and ears always open to catch the brunette, even if by accident, but no luck. It seemed as though he had disappeared.

He finally saw the Haddock kids about a week after, but the car they were in wasn't Hiccup's. Astrid got out of her white SUV, hugging her kids tight before ruffling their hair and kissing their temples affectionately. She said something to them and ushered them towards the school.

Toothless locked eyes with her and, even though she was far, he noticed her bags and red eyes, a sad smile playing on her lips as she waved. He waved back and saw her get in her car again, taking a few seconds before she went off.

"Hey, kids." He greeted gently, the Haddocks smiling at him with the same sad smile. "You guys okay?"

"Y-Yeah. We'll be fine." Tyra said, wiping her eyes.

He kneeled down and placed a hand on both of their shoulders, saying what he was about to say as seriously as he could. "If you guys *_ever_* need anything, you can come and talk to me, you know that, right?"

All the kids did was nod in understanding, going to class once Toothless let them go. He kept looking at the closed doors, remembering the faces the family had. A sudden dread filled his stomach, his feet growing cold.

He prayed to ever God that he knew that nothing bad had happened to Hiccup.

~°•~°•~°•~°•

The bell dinged the next Friday, at exactly four o'clock. When Toothless noticed the time on his phone, he immediately ran outside from the storage room, excitement buzzing through his body.

His stomach immediately fell when he saw Hiccup, disheveled and sad and *_miserable_*, walk to the back of the café. He kept sniffing as he passed by, not looking up from the ground. He slumped to the chair in the corner, his hands in front of him as he fiddled with the sleeve of his sweater. He looked so broken and small and alone that it snapped Toothless out of his staring, the man immediately going to fix up his regular's coffee.

He finished the brew in a nick of time, probably hi new record, but he could care less about that now. He took the coffee and went to the corner of the café, careful not to scare the brunette.

He nudged his hand with the cup, Hiccup looking up to see the barista with a soft smile on his face.

"You look like you need it." He said, his smile growing slightly wider.

"Thanks." His voice was slightly raspy. A bad kind of raspy. A sad kind of raspy.

"On the house." Toothless said when he saw his regular pull out his wallet. Green eyes looked up at him slightly wide before gently grabbing the cup with a barely visible smile directed towards it.

"Thank you." He whispered just enough so the other could hear.

"Mind if I sit here?" Hiccup looked up, his puffy eyes sparkling in the sunlight. The barista with beautiful black hair and piercing green eyes was staring at him with this... sinscere and... understanding look that he just nodded, looking away and using the sleeve of his oversized sweater to wipe his cheek.

Toothles smiled. He had expected to be rejected and was genuinely overjoyed that he wasn't. He pulled out his chair and sat down, his hands falling on the table and fiddling with his fingers. They sat in quiet. It was awkward.

Okay, he did not plan this far- but, considering his expectations, I suppose he can be excused this one time.

"Life is so unfair." Hiccup spoke, breaking the silence. Toothless was so lost in trying to find a way to start a conversation, he was startled and jumped a little. The shorter man laughed slightly at the small jump. The other smiled.

"Tell me about it." He mumbled, the awkward silence returning. This time, Toothless was determined to break it himself. "You..." he paused for a second, thinking. Should he really say this? Yes. Yes, he should. It was now or never. Come on. "You wanna talk about it?" His shoulder shrugged when he asked, his eyes locking with Hiccup's.

"I barely know you." He chuckled slightly, a greatfulness shining in his grass green orbs.

"Sometimes it's easier to talk to a stranger." Toothless said with kind eyes and a gentle smile.

Hiccup looked at him, staring into green pools and getting lost. It was true that they were strangers. But were they really? They've sort of known each other for years now, and the barista knows his drink of the day and he had made him laugh or smile or giggle at almost every interaction they've had- and he looked at him with so much understanding that he honestly believed that everything would be okay. So, looking around, seeing that the coffee shop was empty, he took a deep breath.

"My.. My dad worked in the navy.." He began, cradling his cup. He was yet to take a drink from it. "He loved going out at sea- took me with him a few times when I was younger." He chuckled at the happy memories and Toothless smiled. His gut churned though. He had a feeling like he knew where this story was going. "He met my mom there, too. Said it made him the happiest to have that job then." He mumbled fondly. "But.. uhm..." He scratched at his cup, tears welling up in his eyes. His throat clutched like a hand was tightening around it, it's claw-like nails scratching at it. He felt like choking on the sobs that threatened to come up, his cheeks turning red and his arms beginning to tremble. "There was a leak.. Water flowed in.. They were too far down..." His voice kept breaking. "We buried an empty coffin." He whispered, barely catching his hiccups as his hands flew up to his eyes. He bit his lip to try and stop the noises, but it was useless. His body was trembling and it was racking with every stopped sob and choked hiccup. Toothless looked at him with sympathy. He knew what I was like to loose someone to the army.

As quietly as he could, he moved his seat so he was sitting by Hiccup now, facing his way, and placed a soothing hand onto his back. He didn't let the flinch discourage him, instead he moved closer and guided the other man's head to his neck. He blessed his height right then.

He wrapped his arms around his companion, holding him gently. He felt two hands grab at the front of his shirt tightly, his shoulder becoming slightly wet. He let it happen.

Soft whimpers and sobs began to escape Hiccup's clenched mouth, Toothless shushing him and gently patting his hair. The brunette cursed him then because all that made him want to do was cry more.

"It's not fair..." He mumbled, his body still shaking.

"I know..." The ravenette replied, slightly laying his head on the other's.

"It's not fair..." He whispered again, breathlessly.

They sat there like that for a while, Hiccup trying to control his breathing and Toothless holding him.

~°•~°•~°•~°•

"Feeling better?" It's been about fifteen minutes since Hiccup broke down and it was safe to say that honestly, yes, he was.

"Yeah." He mumbled, nodding his head slightly. "Yeah, I'm okay now." He pulled back, wiping his eyes and smiling at Toothless the best he could.

"If you say so." He replied, leaning forward slightly. It was awkward again. "You know... I know how you feel..." The other looked at him. "Coincidentally, my wife and I met at the military as well." He chuckled and so did Hiccup. "We worked at the air force. She was the most amazing creature I'd ever seen, strict yet gentle."

"She sounds really great." He commented.

"She was." Toothless looked down at his hands between his knees, his smile sad. "I lost her two years ago. Plane crashed."

Hiccup was silent for a moment, looking at his companion up and down. "I'm sorry for your loss." He placed a hand over laced ones.

"You, too." The ravenette said, looking at him with sad but hopeful eyes.

"Thank you." He smiled at him, too.

It was quiet for a moment.

"Let me make you another," Toothless said, nodding his head towards the cup on the table as he cleared his throat and got up. He squeezed the hand in his reassuringly one last time before letting go. "It must be cold by now." And he was right, the cup was cold when he took it.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Hiccup said, getting up after him and wiping his eyes again.

"I insist." His smile was warm and welcoming, how could the man say no to that?

"Okay.." He replied softly, the corners of his lips twitching up.

When they reached the counter, Toothless looked around as he got behind it, seeing that the place was empty. Huh. That was weird. There were at least two people in here around this time, excluding his regular and the staff.

"Barf? Belch?" He called out as Hiccup sat in front of him, crossing his arms and looking around as well. He sniffled a little, smiling when he locked eyes with the barista. Said barista smiled back before he turned to look at the door leading to the supply room. "You two in here?" He asked when he opened the door, seeing that the lights were off and no twins were to be found. He shook his head and went back to the counter, opening a cabinet to pull out some materials for a special blend he was going to make for his regular. A note was attached to a jar he pulled out:

_'Thought you might want some privacy,_

_B.B.Z'_

He chuckled at the message. Seems the two have a brain after all.

"Everything alright?" He almost forgot about his regular when he looked up, seeing slight concern in the other's eyes.

"Yeah, everything's fine." He shook it off, going to continue his search for the ingredients.

There was silence after that, the only noise made was from the radio that played softly and the blending and grinding Toothless did.

It was a peaceful silence. It was nice and lulling and Hiccup hadn't noticed until then how *_tired_* he actually was. He closed his eyes and rested his head on his forearms, letting the pleasant noise and the barista's occasional humming calm him enough till he was on the verge of sleep.

"You still with me?" He lazily opened his eyes when he heard that soft voice, sitting up and looking at a smiling face. It was a nice face.

"Yeah, I'm here." He nodded, rubbing his eyes and yawning slightly. He was really tired. The chuckle sent his way felt like heavenly music to his ears, it making him smile as well.

"Here." A cup was placed in front of him, its warmth very welcomed. He brought it close to his face, smelling the lovely aroma. "It's a special chocolate blend I give to my kids when they're upset. Cheers them right up." He groaned when he took his first sip, his eyes looking mesmerized as he drank a few more.

"This is really good." He said when he placed the cup down, locking eyes with bright green. "What'd you use?"

"I said it's a special chocolate blend and that's all you're getting." They laughed lowly, the atmosphere lifting up even more.

"Okay, okay." Hiccup said, taking another sip. "I won't ask again." Toothless hummed and went to clean the counter while his regular finished his drink.

Another comfortable silence fell upon them, the only noise coming from the few cars outside and the AC that was warming up the place. The golden walls of the cafe made Hiccup feel like he was being caressed by the sun itself, a warmth of sorts filling him up on the inside.

Or maybe it was just the drink.

"Thank you." Hiccup said, the cup at his lips and eyes cast down at the counter.

"Hmm?" The barista looked up, his hand stopping for a moment. He was had been lost in his mind, the world around him moving slowly and peacefully.

".. For listening..." The shy smile on his face was hidden by the cup, a light blush dusting his cheeks. For Odin's sake, he was a middle aged man acting like he was in high school again.

"Of course." Toothless said, smiling wide again. "Glad I could lend an ear." Hiccup's smile widened slightly. He frowned a second later.

"Have.. Have we been formally introduced yet?" The brunette asked, looking a bit uncertain and awkward. "I know we know each other because of school gigs and stuff, and I think I might have known you from my school days, but still, I just thought that-"

He's rambling. How cute.

"Dean 'Toothless' Night." He offered a hand, abruptly stopping the other man from getting carried away.

"Jay 'Hiccup' Horrendous Haddock.. The third..." It felt weird introducing himself with his full name since he never usually did that. Another blush coated his cheeks as he scratched at one of them with a nervous smile.

"Wow, the third." Toothless chimed, letting go of the calloused yet soft hand.

"Yeah, my family has a long lineage." He chuckled.

"But why 'Hiccup'?" The ravenette asked, forgetting all about cleaning the counter and leaning on his forearms on it.

"Oh Gods." The one in questioned laughed. "When I was younger, I used to get the hiccups about everything- when I was excited, when I was happy, when I was sad- especially when I was nervous. Gods, how my cousin used to make fun of me." Still does, actually. "Why 'Toothless'?"

"Oh boy. See, when I was younger -I don't know, about seven, maybe?- I got into my first fight and six of my teeth fell out. They started calling me 'Toothless' after that, but I handed their asses to them the next day. Got the nickname 'Night Fury' a few years later." Hiccup's eyes widened.

"'Night Fury'!" He exclaimed, jumping out of his seat and forwards into Toothless. Their noses where close to touching but it seemed that only the latter had noticed. "That's where I know you from! I knew you looked familiar!"

"Really, now?" He chuckled nervously, moving slightly away from the closeness of the whole situation. Not that he really minded, though.

"Oh man, people used to make up stories about you!- like how you split a rock in two with your bare hands- and how you fought with the dragons in Dragons Cave- oh! And people used to say that you could fly, too!"

"And you believed all of that?" The excited sparkle in Hiccup's eyes dimmed a little as he sat back down in his seat, an embarrassed blush appearing on his cheeks.

"Uh... maybe?" He replied, scratching his neck. "I mean I was like eleven at the time, probably, so who wouldn't believe it? I saw you flip a guy almost twice your size, I didn't dare not believe the rumors."

Toothless chuckled, leaning back on the counter. "The prick probably had it coming."

"I think you twisted his wrist and broke a few of his fingers."

"Like I said, he probably had it coming." He picked up the cloth again, going to wipe the counter.

"You changed a lot, though." Toothless snorted.

"Look who's talking."

"I'm serious!" Hiccup replied, straightening his back. "You used to be this dark, emo kid with black eyeshadow and black clothes and all around terrifying to an eleven year old."

"And you looked so nerdy with your glasses and knitted vests over your green sweaters. I have to say, puberty has done you good." Toothless didn't know if he was flirting, but judging by the blush Hiccup seemed to have on constantly, he'd guess he wasn't doing a bad job.

"You, too." He murmured, scratching at his cup as he took a sip, his eyes averted to the side.

The ravenette tried not to snort again, instead focusing back on the counter. "Thanks."

"No prob." He seriously just dug himself into a hole here. When the brunette finally had the courage to look up again, he also noticed the clock behind raven locks. He saw it was quarter past five, his eyes widening. "I should get back home. The kids are with me today and I promised we'd have dinner together." He said as he got up, setting the cup down.

"It's okay, I understand." Toothless smiled, taking the paper cup and putting it behind the counter. He could throw it away later. "Come back soon?"

Hiccup nodded, promising that he will, and left with a wave.

Toothless didn't know how to feel. On one hand, he relieved that nothing bad had happened to his regular, but on the other, he just couldn't shake the horrible drop in his stomach. He knew hoe it felt to loose someone close, so he knew what Hiccup was going through, but that also opened up fresh wounds.

It's only been two years, but it'll always hurt, regardless of how much time has passed.

~°•~°•~°•~°•

Routine came back, more or less, with his greeting the Haddock kids in the morning and his regular coming at four. He told his kids what had happened with the permission of Hiccup, of course, and they understood immediately. They became more sensitive and supportive of the Haddock's situation, and he didn't know whether to feel pride or feel sad that that understanding came from personal experience.

Still, he was more or less grateful that the days seemed to calm down as weeks passed, the chill Autumn air chilling even more. The cold couldn't dampen their mood, though, because there was a new addition to his routine: this time, whenever Hiccup came around, he'd bring him his coffee to his table and talk for the twenty minutes he'd stay, laughing about their day and complaining about their kids.

There were a few moments, mostly at the beginning, where they'd just sit in silence with Hiccup's hand in Toothless's, calming him down and just being there for him. It were the moments like these that he did and didn't like. The pros were having to hold his hand and comfort him when he needed; the cons were that he ever needed that comfort.

It was confusing, but he understood what he felt and what he needed to do. He didn't mind it and Hiccup didn't seem to either, although he always apologized after.

Now, a month after the whole ordeal, they had been sitting at the café when Toothless finally managed to get enough courage to ask Hiccup if he wanted to walk around the park some Saturday afternoon. That's where they were, now, sitting on a bench with their jackets pulled over their necks, and talking about the past week.

Hiccup was telling him something Gobber did last Wednesday that he forgot to say, Toothless laughing at the silliness of the situation. Neither noticed they had come closer, their shoulders and thighs touching.

Toothless told himself that it was because of the cold, but he knew better.

The walks in the park were become semi-routine, as they happened every other or so week on Saturday around one o'clock.

They were the times the two could really relax without the threat of not doing their job hanging over their shoulders and their kids waiting for them at home.

Yes, it was peaceful for a while- till a month later the fire brigade was called.

"Dad, wake up!" A voice was yelling by his ear, Toothless groaning and flipping over. "Dad, come on!"

"What?" He asked, sitting up and looking at the digital clock by his bed. "It's twelve in the morning."

"The fire fighters are at Tyra's place!" Well, that woke him up.

"What?" He asked, sitting up properly on the bed. "What do you mean _f__ire fighters_?" He took his jacket off the rack, running to the door, out to his car and starting it up.

"I don't know, but Tyra called me and said their kitchen caught on fire. They're all okay." She said as she jumped in the car with him, Toothless pulling out and ramming the gas.

He knew the general direction of where Hiccup's house was, but he asked his daughter either way as she's been there more than he has. When he finally turned the corner and saw the house, a third of it was burned, presumably where the kitchen was. His breath left his lungs in a relieved sigh when he saw Hiccup and his kids standing on the other side with a few other people looking at what was happening.

"Toothless?" Hiccup asked once he saw the car and the ravenette get out, two strong arms wrapping around him.

"Thank Gods your okay." He said as he tightened his hug before letting go, keeping his hands on his shoulders. That's when he looked down and kneeled in front of the Haddock kids, holding their shoulders and saying how relieved he was that they were fine.

"How'd you get here?" Hiccup asker as Toothless stood up, letting Melody hug her friends. "I mean, how'd you know? Don't you live on the other side of town?"

"Melody told me. Tyra called her." He explained. "How did this happen?" He looked confusedly at the house before at the brunette standing in front of him.

Hiccup sheepishly, and a little guiltily, rubbed his neck. "I think I left the stove on after dinner. I don't know how I forgot, but here we are." Toothless sighed.

"Where are you gonna stay now?" There was no chance the kitchen could be used in that condition. Hel, one wall was so burnt that there was no chance the cold air wouldn't start drafting about the rooms.

"Well, Astrid is off the island a lot and she usually stays with us when she comes, and my mom decided to go with her, and she has a house up on the mountains, but it's too far away and it'll be really cold soon-"

"Can they stay with us, dad?" Melody asked, coming up beside her father.

"What?" Hiccup snapped out of his thoughts, looking a bit alarmed. "Oh, no, we couldn't-"

"It's fine." Toothless replied, rubbing his daughter's head. "Pack up your stuff as soon as you can and let's go."

And that's how, twenty minutes later, they were all walking up the stairs and into the huge house, Hiccup thanking him endlessly about his hospitality.

Claws was in the kitchen when they entered, snacking away at something he found in the cupboards. "Dad? Vernon?" He asked, looking at the confusedly. "What are you guys doing here?"

"So you're the one who's been eating my cereal." Toothless accused, putting the bags down and snatching the box away, putting it up on a higher shelf. He brought Claws in front of him and smiled. "Would you mind sharing you room with Vernon for a bit? They had an accident at their house so they're gonna stay here a while."

"Really?!" And just like that, his pouty face was gone as he ran to Vernon and pulled him towards his room, the two boys very excited to spend the night together.

"And no playing games, you go to bed right away!" Toothless said as he ran after them, stoping at the stairs in the hallway. He promised to check on them later to make sure they were actually sleeping.

"Dad, we're going to my room." Melody said as she, too, ascended the stairs with Tyra in tow.

"Go to bed, alright?" She nodded her replied and disappeared around the corner. This just left Toothless and Hiccup, alone, in the living room. "You can have my bed, I'll sleep in the living room."

"No, you don't have to, I can sleep here." Hiccup said as he sat down on the grey-ish green couch, his form slumped and hands between his knees. His look was distant and his brows pinched ever so slightly. Toothless sighed with a small smile, his face sympathetic as he sat down beside his companion. He took a hand in his two, gently holding it.

"Hey. It's alright. Things like this happen."

"We were having such a good day yesterday. I ruined it. I should've been more careful, Toothless." His voice was wet.

"Well, when people are happy, they can get distracted." The other tried to reason.

"What if something happened to Vernon and Tyra?" His eyes widened as he finally looked up at Toothless. "I couldn't live with myself. Not after- not..." His voice was breaking as tears started to blur his vision.

"Hey, stop thinking like that. There's no point in thinking about the 'what if's. It's over. No one was hurt." He pulled the brunette into a hug, holding him tight as he began to shake slightly.

"I was so _terrified_.."

"I know." He replied, tightening his hug. "Hey,, He gently nudged the other so he could look him in the eyes while still holding him. "We don't have to go to bed right away. You wanna watch a movie?" Hiccup nodded slightly, going to wipe his eyes.

Toothless smiled and gave one last squeeze before standing up and turning on the TV, putting the disk in and switching around the files for the most recent movie they had on it. He clicked on a cartoon Claws had wanted to watch and paused the film, going to the closet in the corner and pulling out blankets and pillows. With chips in hand from the kitchen cupboard, he went into the nest Hiccup made and settled in, clicking play.

The movie began as the two squished even further into the puffy blankets and soft pillows, Hiccup ending up leaning against Toothless twenty minutes into the film. Twenty more minutes later, he was fast asleep with the ravenette's arm around his shoulders, close to dozing off as well.

A few hours later, their kids found them in the pile of blankets, pillows and chips on the couch and Melody made sure to take pictures.


End file.
